Friction-braked hinge assemblies



Feb. 10, 1959 G. Hlzs JR 2,872,697

FRICTION-BRAKED HINGE ASSEMBLIES Filed Oct. 19, 1956 INVENTO George M'zsa, Jr

55 "HA f a '36 fimm 4 rmewzvs United States Patent FRICTION-BRAKED HINGE ASSEMBLIES George Hizsa, Jr., Roselle, N. J Application October 19, 1956, Serial No. 617,122 13 Claims. (Cl. 16-142) This invention relates to improved friction-braked hinge assemblies.

The primary object of the invention is to provide more practical and eflicient hinge assemblies of this kind, which are simpler and more durable in construction, are more easily installed, and whose friction brake means requires little or no alteration of conventional forms of hinge leaves for their incorporation in hinge assemblies.

Another object of the invention is to provide hinge assemblies in which the friction-brake means involves a single component mounted on one of the two hinge leaves of a hinge assembly or two components severally mounted on the leaves of a hinge assembly, the braking components having one or more resilient spring fingers terminating in brake shoes which are held in frictional engage- A ment with sides of hinge barrels on one or more hinge leaves.

A further object of the invention is to provide frictionbrake means of the character indicated above which can be readily incorporated in existing hinge assemblies.

A still further object of the invention is to provide hinge assemblies and friction-brake means of the character indicated which can be made in well-finished, rugged, and desirable forms at relatively low cost, are easily installed, and highly satisfactory and acceptable for the purpose intended.

These together with other objects and advantages which Will become apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is an outboard side elevational view of a hinge assembly of the invention secured to a door and a door frame jarnb, the hinge assembly being in open position;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view similar to Figure 2, showing the hinge assembly in closed position;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal detailed sectional view similar to Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Figure 4, showing friction brake means of the invention being installed to modify a conventional hinge assembly;

Figure -6 is an outboard side elevational view, on a reduced scale, of another embodiment of the invention;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6, showing a further embodiment of the invention;

Referring to the drawings in detail, and first to Figures 1 through 5 thereof, there are shown a fragmentary portion of a door frame, indicated generally at 10, having a jamb 16, and a fragmentary portion a door, indicated generally at 12, having a hinge mounting edge 14. The door jamb 16 has therein a rectangularly shaped recess 18 and the edge 14 of the door incorporates a similar recess 20. Indicated generally at 22 is a conventional butt hinge which is shown for purpose of illustration herein. It is to be understood that the invention is applicable to all hinges having leaves which are pivotally connected by means of interdigitated hinge barrels having hinge pins extending therethrough.

The hinge assembly 22 comprises a first or door-mounted hinge leaf 24 having on its inner edge 25 aligned and spaced hinge pin barrels 26 and 28, and a second or doorframe jamb mounted hinge leaf 30 having on its inner edge 33 spaced and aligned hinge pin barrels 31, 32 and 34.

The hinge pin barrels on both the hinge leaves 24 and 30 are substantially equally spaced from each other, and, in the case of the hinge leaf 24, from the ends of the hinge leaf 24. The hinge pin barrels of the hinge leaf 24 are engaged between the barrels of the leaf 30, and. a hinge pin 36 extends therethrough. The hinge leaves are secured to the door edge 14 and the door frame jarnb 16 by screws 50, having bevelled heads 51 seated in bevelled holes 53 in the hinge leaves.

The hinge assembly 22 further comprises friction-brake means 52 which comprises an elongated initially fiat and relatively narrow resilient leaf spring or finger 54, of such as spring steel, spring brass, or the like, having an outer end 55 and an inner end 57.

' As shown in Figure 5, the finger 54, near its outer end 55, is formed by deforming the material of the finger at the inward side 59 of the finger to provide a bevelled annulus 61 which conformably seats in a related bevelled screw-hole 53 in the door edge engaging hinge leaf 24, and accommodates the bevelled head 51 of a screw 50, with the shank of the screw extending through the opening 56 of the annulus.

On the inner end 57 of the finger 54 is an integral areuate brake shoe 58 which is offset at the inner side 59 of the finger 54 and terminates in an inwardly directed lip 63. The concave outer side of the shoe 58 has secured thereon in any suitable manner, a friction lining 60.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the brake finger 54 is installed by inserting the brake shoe 58 from the outboard side of the hinge assembly between the inner edge 25 of the hinge leaf 24 and the related barrel 32 of the hinge leaf 30, so that the brake shoe lining 60 engages .Figure .8 is a viewsimilar to Figure,6 showing a still around the inboard side of the barrel 32. The finger 54 is then bent and pressed against the outboard side of the hinge leaf 24, with the annulus 61 in the related hole 53 of the leaf 24, and a screw 50 threaded into the door edge 14 through the hole 56 so as to seat the bevelled head 51 thereof in the annulus 61.

Thus the brake means through its frictional engagement with the hinge barrel 32 of the hinge leaf 30 in which it is held by the inner edge 25 of the hinge leaf 24 andthe tension of the finger 54, while permitting swinging of the door 12 relative to the door frame 10, acts to hold the door12 in any desired angular relation to the door frame 10 to which the door has been moved.

In Figures 6 to 10 are shown other forms of the invention, which provide greater braking action than that afforded by the embodiment of Figures 1 through 5.

In the form of the invention shown in Figure 6, the friction brake means, indicated generally at 62, comprises a U-shaped plate 64 having a bight portion 66 secured,

as above described, by a screw 50 extending through a hole in the hinge plate 39. The bight portion 66 has thereon two spaced inwardly extending resilient fingers 68 and 70 similar to the finger 54, and terminating in brake shoes 72 and 74, similar to the brake shoe 58, and engaging the inboard sides of the barrels 26 and 28, respectively, of the hinge plate 24, and having friction linings60. The brake shoes 72 and .74 engage the inner edge 33 of the hinge leaf 30, and the fingers 68 and 70 are deformed and tensioned as described hereinabove.

In Figure 7, the friction brake means, indicated generally at 76, comprises a plate, 78, substantially as long as and engaged with the outboard side of the hinge leaf 24 and secured thereto by screws as above described. The plate 78 has a bight portion 80 having on its inner edge three inwardly extending neutrally parallel resilient fingers 82, 84 and 86, like the fingers 54, 68 and 70, terminate in inboardly offset brake shoes 88, 90 and 92, respectively, similar to the above described brake shoes,

which are engaged with the inboard sides of related hinge barrels of the hinge plate 30.

In Figure 8, the friction brake means 52 and 62 of Figures 1 and 6 are utilized together on the hinge leaves 24 and respectively.

In Figure 9, the friction brake means 76 and 62 are utilized together on the hinge plates 24 and 30, respectively.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of they invention. Since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, as fall within the scope of the appended claims,

What is claimed as new is as follows:

' l. A hinge assembly comprising first and second hinge leaves having inner edges and outboard and inboard sides, interdigitated barrel means on said inner edges, a hinge pin extending through the barrels thereof, brake means comprising resilient spring finger means having outer and inner ends, said finger means being located at the outboard side of said first hinge leaf, offset brake shoe means on the inner end of said finger means frictionally engaged with the barrel means of the second hinge leaf, means securing the outer end of the finger means to the first hinge leaf, the part of the finger means between the brake shoe means and said securing means being bowed away from the first hinge leaf under tension.

2. A hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein said fingers means consists of a single finger having a single brake shoe engaged with a barrel of the hinge barrel means of the second hinge leaf.

3. A hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein said finger means comprises two fingers each having a brake shoe engaged with a related barrel of the hinge barrel means of said second hinge leaf.

4. A hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein said finger means comprises three fingers each having a brake shoe engaged with a related barrel of the hinge barrel means of said second hinge leaf.

5. A hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein said finger means consists of a single finger having a single brake shoe engaged with a barrel of the hinge barrel means of the second hinge leaf, and said finger means further comprises finger means on said second hinge leaf comprising two fingers engaged with related barrels of the hinge barrel means of the first hinge leaf with the single finger positioned between the two fingers.

6. A hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein said finger means comprises two fingers each having a brake shoe engaged with a related barrel of the hinge barrel means of the said second hinge leaf, said finger means further comprising a single finger positioned between said two fingers.

7. A hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein said finger means comprises three fingers each having a brake shoe engaged with a related barrel of the hinge barrel means of the second hinge leaf, said finger means further comprising two fingers on said second hinge leaf positioned between the three fingers on the first hinge leaf.

8. A hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein said securing means comprises a bevel screw hole in said first hinge leaf, a bevelled annulus on the outer end of the finger means seated in said screw hole, and a screw traversing the opening of the annulus and the screw hole and having a bevelled head engaged in said annulus.

9. A hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein said brake means further comprises second spring finger means on said second hinge leaf having an outer end secured to the second hinge leaf and an inner end having thereon offset brake shoe means frictionally engaged with the hinge barrel means of the first hinge leaf.

10. A hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein said brake means further comprises second spring finger means on said second hinge leaf having an outer end secured to the second hinge leaf and an inner end having thereon offset brake shoe means frictionally engaged with the hinge barrel means of the first hinge leaf, said first spring finger means consisting of a single spring finger.

11. A hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein said brake means further comprises second spring. finger means on said second hinge leaf having an outer end secured to the second hinge leaf and an inner end having thereon offset brake shoe means, frictionally engaged with the hinge barrel means of the first hinge leaf, said first spring finger means consisting of a single spring finger and said second spring finger means comprising a plurality of spring fingers.

12. A hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein said brake means further comprises second spring finger means on said second hinge leaf having an outer end secured to the second hinge leaf and an inner end having thereon offset brake shoe means frictionally engaged with the hinge barrel means of the first hinge leaf, said first and second spring finger means each comprising a plurality of spring fingers.

13. A hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein said brake means further comprises second spring finger means on said second hinge leaf having an outer end secured to the second hinge leaf and an inner end having thereon offset brake shoe means frictionally engaged with the hinge barrel means of the first hinge leaf, said first and second spring finger means each comprising a plurality of spring fingers, some of the fingers of each spring finger means being positioned between fingers of the other spring finger means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 600,161 Moore Mar. 8, 1898 1,987,060 Hammond Jan. 8, 1935 2,240,790 Kuney May 6, 1941 2,768,571 Pearson Oct. 30, 1956 2,772,916 Jones Dec. 4, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 692,160 Great Britain May 27, 1953 

